The first mention by Europeans of that portion of our State now comprised within the limits of the county of Ocean is contained in the following extract from the journal kept by Robert Juet mate of the "Half Moon," of which ship Sir Henry Hudson was commander. Sir Henry Hudson himself has given us no account of his discoveries on this trip in 1609. The Half Moon left Delaware Bay and was proceeding northerly along our coast when Juet wrote as follows:

"Sept. 2nd 1609. The course along the land we found to be N. E. by N. from the land which we first had sight of until we came to a great lake of water as we could judge it to be, being drowned land which made it rise like islands, was in length ten leagues. The mouth of the lake has many shoals and the sea breaks upon them as it is cast out of the mouth of it. And from that lake or bay the land lays N. by E. and we had a great stream out of the bay, and from thence our soundings was ten fathoms two leagues from land. At five o'clock we anchored in eight fathoms water, wind light. Far to the northward we saw high hills."

The next morning the Half Moon proceeded on towards the Highlands.

Juet's description of the coast, its two courses, one above and the other below Barnegat gives it as it still is; the soundings are about as he describes, and the inlet and bay still present the same appearance.

Among the sawmills first erected in Ocean county may be mentioned the following:

John Eastwood had a sawmill on Cedar Creek previous to 1740.

Edward Beak's, sawmill, Kettle Creek, 1742.

Van Hook's sawmill, Dry Cedar Swamp Brook, 1749.

Everingham's sawmill, north branch Toms River, 1750.

Van Horn's sawmill, Van Horn's brook, Toms River, 1759.

Coward's sawmill, north branch Toms River, 1762.

In the New York Gazette, April, 1768, appears an advertisement offering for sale a tract of land of 1,000 acres at Toms River; also a sawmill four miles from the bay, renting for 82,000 feet good inch boards a year. The advertisement is signed by Paul and Abraham Schenck, and reference given to John Williams, Tiniconk Bridge.

Jackson's Mills and Schenck's Mills, Jackson township, Willett's Mills, Stafford, Kimmons' Mills, New Egypt and mills on Forked River (upper mill), Waretown and Oyster Creeks, were also built at an early date. The saw and grist mill at Toms River (where the village now is) were burnt by the British, March, 1782.

We find that some of these mills were established farther up some of these streams than many now would suppose would be the case; the lumber would be made into small narrow rafts and floated down towards the bay, where vessels would be in readiness to carry it to market. Old Cranberry Inlet being then open it was much more convenient to get to New York than at the present day.

In 1748 we find in ancient records mention of Marcus Hedden's dam at Toms River called "The old giving over place;" other writings speak of "The old riding overplace," which was near the present bridge. In 1749 we find mention of A. Luker's Ferry at Toms River.

The first land taken up at Toms River appears to have been a small tract of 17 1-2 acres along the river near Messrs. Aumack's store Nov. 14th, 1741; and same date a tract 75 acres back of Cowdrick's Hotel- by James Alexander, Surveyor General.

Mannahawkin: This name is from the original Indian designation of the place and signifies "good corn land."

Barnegat: From the Dutch and signifies "Breakers Inlet," or an inlet with breakers. It was first written "Bar-ende-gat," then "Barndegat" and finally the present orthography was adopted.

Waretown: So called from an early settler named Abraham Waeir who died in that village March 24th, 1768, aged 85 years.

Toms River: So called from a noted Indian living there previous to the Revolution. It is said he held some office under the British Government, but proving a defaulter was deprived of it and disgraced.*

New Egypt: One tradition says this place was formerly called "Kimmons Mills" a man named Kimmons owning the mills there; and from the amount of corn raised and sold in the vicinity, people at a distance used to speak jokingly of "going to Egypt to buy corn," and hence the name.

Goodluck: There is a tradition to the effect that a man on horseback being pursued by some enemies intent on taking his life, rode his horse into the bay and swam him across to the point of land near the mouth of Toms River now known as Goodluck Point by which means he escaped and to commemorate his deliverance he called it "Goodluck Point." In regard to the name of Goodluck applied to the village, another tradition says it was given by Rev. John Murray on account of the good luck which he seemed to meet with there. As Murray must have originally landed near Goodluck Point, it is not improbable that fancying the name as applied to the Point he might under the circumstances have bestowed it upon the village.

Barende-Gat: The name Barende-gat in Dutch signifies Breakers inlet or an inlet with breakers; it appears to have been applied to the inlet, not as a permanent name, but only as one descriptive of the inlet, by the first discoverers along our coast; the same name is found upon some ancient maps applied both to Absecon and Barnegat.

The name Barnegat in ancient times was not only applied to the inlet and bay but to much or most of the land bordering on the bay.

The establishment of saw mills rendered it necessary to have vessels to carry lumber to market; these vessels were generally sloops. This was about the beginning of the coasting trade for which Ocean county has since been so noted. After a time these first vessels found additional employment in carrying cedar rails to market; after a time this trade began to fail but about the time it failed the invention of steamboats caused a demand for pine wood. Since then a large number of vessels owned and manned by citizens of this county have been steadily engaged in the wood trade; when the supply of pine wood failed in the county, larger vessels were built and proceeded to Maryland and Virginia to obtain it.

When the largest of the timber---such as was fit for marketable wood, was cut off, the charcoal trade next furnished employment for many of the smaller class coasting vessels. The charcoal trade was commenced about forty years ago.

At the present time most of the coasting vessels (generally schooners---two or three masted) are too large to enter our bay loaded; they are engaged in the coasting trade from New York to Southern and Eastern ports. A large amount of capital is invested by our citizens in these vessels, much larger than Custom House records would show, as most of them take out papers at New York, Perth Amboy, Little Egg Harbor and other places out of the county or out of the Custom House district. It is difficult now to give the precise amount of capital invested, but it is probable that between half a million and a million dollars is now invested in vessel property by Ocean county citizens. Most of these vessels are built in the county, but some have been built on the North River, at Allowaystown, N. J., and other places.

(As there is no Custom House in Ocean county, my impression is that much of the vessel property owned here is credited to other places; for instance, if three- fourths of a vessel is owned here and one-fourth in New York, the vessel will be enrolled in New York, as it is convenient to renew papers there.)

The first Europeans who ever landed within the limits of our county, it is probable, were Capt. Hendrickson and his companions in the celebrated yacht "Onrest" (Restless), although we have no positive information to settle the point. The evidence, though circumstantial, is strong. It will be remembered that Mr. Brodhead, the Historian of N. Y., discovered a map in Holland supposed to have been published or made about October, 1614. This map gives so correct a representation of Barnegat Bay and the various streams running into it that it bears upon its face evidence of having been made from actual exploration. In regard to the authorship of this map of 1614, I am unaware of its being attributed to any one; but it will be remembered that the little "Onrest," after returning from her cruise in the Spring of that year under Adrien Block (from the Eastward), was taken in charge by Capt. Hendrickson who sailed out of Sandy Hook southerly for the express purpose of making discoveries and exploring the coast. Most maps made during the succeeding fifty or seventy-five years give so incorrect representations of Barnegat Bay and the streams emptying into it that they doubtlessly were made by persons who never entered the bay at all, but only sailed along outside the beach. Navigators in vessels outside could easily determine the length. and quite accurately the width, also, but could see no streams. It is true that in the noted "Figurative" map of 1616, of Capt. Hendrickson's, we find nothing to justify the supposition that he entered this bay, but that map does not appear to have been made to give exact particulars of discoveries, but only to give general outlines of the coast for an especial and different purpose, viz: to illustrate and explain his demands for certain special trading privileges. From the object he had in view in cruising along our coast in 1614; from the size of his little vessels so well adapted for coming in our inlet which the larger Dutch vessels could not do; from the improbability of any other navigator cruising along here that year; from the date of the map corresponding so nearly to the time of his trip; from the probabilities that he must have made a more minute map of the coast than his figurative one- from all these circumstances combined, it seems reasonable to suppose that the "Onrest," the first vessel ever built in America, was the first that ever entered Barnegat Bay. *

The fishing privileges afforded in the vicinity of Barnegat Bay were frequently enlarged upon by the Proprietors and others, to induce persons to settle along the bay and even whaling was expected to prove quite profitable. The celebrated navigator De Vries tells us that on the 15th of April, 1633, he was off "Barendegat, where in two hours he took upwards of eighty codfish better than those of New Foundland. Samuel Groome in order to effect the establishment of this branch of commerce was very anxious for a speedy arrangement with the Indians whereby lands near Barnegat might be secured."

The work of Scott, 1685, before alluded to, says: "Bornogate, or Burning Hole, is said to be a very good place for fishing and there are some desiring to take up land there who inform us that it is good land and abundance of meadow lying in it."

Though whaling turned out generally unprofitable, yet our first settlers found inducements enough to locate here in other fisheries, the abundance of oysters, wild fowl, etc.; these, together with the meadow and farm land adjacent to the bay, rendered the necessaries of life easily obtainable. These first settlers, locating themselves along the bay or upon streams near the bay, do not appear to have taken up land; the presumption is, that the Proprietors persuaded them to come and locate upon their lands or were anxious to have them do so as a means of drawing other settlers here. A few families appear to have been in the county scattered at various points as early as about 1700, and slowly increased in numbers until from 1735 to 1740, about which time (as far as I have been able to ascertain) settlers first began to take up land. Then (1735-40) we find the next inducement to locate here was the valuable sites for mills afforded by the numerous streams and the facilities for the lumber trade; some of the first mills established in Ocean county it may be proper to mention.

It is said* that the Dutch, after displacing the Swedes along the Delaware in 1655, and while under the Governorship of Peter Alricks and others, acquired large tracts of country upon the eastern side of New Jersey. According to some traditionary accounts, persons, either Swedes or Dutch, from along the Delaware about this time visited Ocean county and endeavored to induce persons to settle along Toms River, but this point is not as yet conclusively settled.

Besides the reasons offered by the Proprietors to induce persons to settle here we have other causes which actuated many of the first settlers to locate here and in other parts of East Jersey, given in the following extract
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* Hist. Coll. N. J.

from a letter of Lord Cornbury's to the Board of Trade, dated July 1st, 1708.

"Two sorts of people remove out of this Government (New York) to neighboring provinces; the first are trading men; of these but few have removed since I came hither. The other sort are husbandmen. Of this sort many are removed lately, especially from Kings county, Long Island. Many of our early settlers along shore came from Long Island about the time referred to by Lord Cornbury- those on the lower part of our county chiefly by way of Egg Harbor. And the reasons they remove are of two kinds, namely: The first is because Kings county is small and full of people, so as the young grow up they are forced to seek land farther off to settle on. The land in the Eastern Division of New Jersey is good and not very far from Kings county; there is only a bay to cross. The other reason that induces them to move into New Jersey is because they pay no taxes; no, nor no duties."

Lord Cornbury then proceeds to propose plans to check this emigration, but we find that Gov. Robt. Hunter, (April 30th, 1716,) still complains of "the great numbers of the younger sort who leave Long Island yearly to plant in New Jersey and Pennsylvania."

As before stated, many of the early settlers of Ocean county came from Long Island, probably a majority of those in the lower part of the county. Many of these, perhaps most of them, came by the way of Little Egg Harbor.

From Long Island tax rates 1675, to 1683, are gathered the following among other familar Ocean county names:

Oyster Bay: Birdsalls, Willetts, Horners, Townsends. Andrews.

Gravesend: Tiltons, Davis, Woolleys, Johnsons, Stillwells, Wilkins.

Brookhaven: Salmons, Rogers, Platts, Jones, Coxes, Hulses.

Southampton: Roses, Mills, Cooks, Komptons.

Southold: Baileys, Salmons.

East Hampton: Osbornes.

Newtown: Lawrences, Pangborns, Moores, Smiths, Southards, Salmons, Whites, Williams, Formans, Birdsalls, Burchams.

In several Long Island towns are the Lawrences, Conklins, Williams, Rogers, etc.

From Burlington county came the Pharos, Ridgways, Imlays, Jennings, Mills, etc.

Among families supposed to have come from Middlesex are the Parkers,* Gulicks, Randolphs, Predmores, etc.

A large number of early settlers came from Monmouth: the Stouts, Holmes, Conovers, Lawrences, Russells, Herberts, and others too numerous to mention.

Many families of the same name appear to have come, in different parts of the county, from different places, as Mills, Cooks, Johnsons, etc.

Among early settlers who are referred to in ancient deeds but of whom little is known as to their origin, we find Wm. Chamberlain whose house stood on the north side of Oyster Creek, 1739; Robert Hewlett's dwelling, Goodluck, 1748, and Nicholas Brown, Mannahawkin.

Mem: The county was so sparsely populated a century ago that I doubt if it contained over twelve or fifteen hundred people, though so large in territory.

Ocean it will be remembered was once a part of Monmouth, and Monmouth was formerly divided into Middletown and Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury then extended to the most southerly point of the present county of Ocean; it is therefore proper to make some reference to old Shrewsbury.

The celebrated Stout manuscript says that in 1648 there were only six white families in Middletown. It is doubtful if there were any then in Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury
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* For Parker family see "Contributions to E. J. Hist [East Jersey History], by W. A. Whitehead"

was first settled by emigrants from Connecticut in 1664.

The following items relating not only to Shrewsbury, but to other parts of East Jersey, may be new to some; they are from the Dutch records during their brief sway in 1673.

After displacing the English, the Dutch sent officers into East Jersey to administer to the inhabitants:

"Aug. 12th, 1673. The inhabitants of Middletown and Shrewsbury are required and charged to send their deputies unto us on Tuesday morning next to treat upon surrendering their said towns to the Dutch.

           (Signed)      Cornelius Evertie, 
                         Jacob Benckes. 

"14th 7ber 1673. Capt. Knyff and Lieut. Snell returned yesterday morning from Aghter Coll* and reported that pursuant to their commissions they had administered the oath of allegiance to the inhabitants of the undernamed towns, who are found to number as in the lists herewith delivered to Council:"

       Elizabethtown, 80 men, 76 took oath - rest absent. 
       New Wark,      86  "   75  "    "      "     "
       Woodbridge,    54  "   53  "    "  one absent. 
       Piscataway,    43  "   43  "    " 
       Middletown,    60  "   52  "    " 
       Shrewsbury,    68  "   38  "    "    18 Quakers 
promised allegiance- rest absent." 

By the foregoing census it appears that the men in East Jersey that year numbered 391. Allowing the population to have been four times as many as the population of East Jersey that year (1673) would have been 1564, and of Shrewsbury 272.

Many original Monmouth settlers were Dutch from Holland. The Holland Dutch origin is still preserved by many familiar names as shown elsewhere.

The Holland Dutch (or Low Dutch,) are proverbially
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* Aghter Coll, or Achter Coll. meaning "beyond the hills"- beyond Bergen Hills- the name applied to East Jersey.

a remarkably cleanly and neat people- so much so, that we hardly dare call in question the truth of the story of one of our very neat, tidy Monmouth Dutch Grandmothers who scrubbed her floor so thoroughly and so often, that one day she scrubbed through and fell into the cellar and broke her neck.

The following item also relates to Shrewsbury:

"Whereas the late chosen Magistrates of Shrewsbury are found to be persons whose religion will not suffer them to take an oath, it was ordered that a new nomination of four persons of true Protestant Christian religion out of which I shall elect two and continue one of the former Magistrates.

                             Anthony Colve, Gov. 

29th 7th ber 1673.

Magistrates of Shrewsbury, sworn Sept. 1st, 1673:

John Hance, Eleakim Wardil, Hugh Dyckman.

Capt. Knyff and Lieut. Snell reported also that they had sworn in certain officers of the militia in said towns. For Middletown and Shrewsbury were the following:

Middletown- Jonathan Holmes, Captain; John Smith, Lieut.; Thomas Whitlock, Ensign.

Shrewsbury- William Newman, Captain; John Williamson, Lieut.; Nieles Brown, Ensign.

In 1682 the population of Shrewsbury was estimated at 400, and several thousand acres of laud were under cultivation.

The first mention that I now remember to have met with of any part of the present county of Ocean in any official public English records is in the grant of the Duke of York to Berkely and Carteret July 29th, 1674. In giving the bounds of territory it is described as extending "as far southward as a certain creek called Barnegat, being about the middle point between Sandy Hook and Cape May, and bounded on the west in a strait line from said creek called Barnegat to a certain creek in Delaware river next adjoining to and below a certain creek in Delaware river called Renkokus." (Leaming & Spicer, p. 46.)

The above quotation is repeated in Carteret's instructions to planters and settlers, (Leaming and Spicer, p. 50.)

In the Proprietors' Instructions to the Deputy Governor, July 3d, 1685, it is ordered:

"That whenever there is a convenient Plott of land lying together, containing twenty-four thousand acres as we are informed will more especially be the case at Barnegatte, it be divided and marked into twenty-four parts, a thousand acres to each Proprietary and the parts being made as equal as can be for quality and situation, the first comers settling to have the choice of the Divisions and where several stand equal in that respect upon equal Terms and Time of settling it be determined by lot," etc.

(The sections proceed to give farther directions in regard to dividing the lands which are to be found in Leaming and Spicer, pages 210-211.)

Although the majority of persons who earliest visited Ocean county travelled along the shore, yet it is probable that the north-westerly and northerly portions of the county were occasionally traversed by travelers crossing our State long before there were any settlements of whites in the central portion of New Jersey. These travelers crossed the State for various reasons, some for curiosity, perhaps, or to explore it; some on public or private business between the early settlements in New York and East Jersey, adjacent, and the settlements on the Delaware, as in the case of Capt. William Tom and Peter Alricks, 1671; others as missionaries or traveling preachers between settlements in this and other States.

I know of no account which gives the precise route usually travelled then, but it would be reasonable to suppose they followed the usual Indian trails or paths. Among these paths we find occasional mention in ancient Monmouth and Ocean records of "Burlington old path," among other places referred to in 1767 in the act creating the township of Dover now in Ocean.